[Non-Sequitur]

Mr. Williams definition is correct. The citizens of the South were no longer citizens of the US, but citizens of the Confederacy. Civil war would not be appropriate.

Dr. Williams is wrong. The southern rebellion was not successful, so the people there remained a part of the United States. Civil war as defined in the dictionary would be accurate.

[kildak]

It was not a rebellion as the people of several of the sovereign states had decided to peaceably secede.

It was not successful due to the illegal military invasion by the North.

[Who is John Galt?]

…every on-line dictionary I've checked defines a civil war as " war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country." Which is an accurate defintion of what happened.

…the dicitionaries also present another definition which happens to be an accurate description of what happened.

Sorry, my friend, but you’ve just posted more of your endless non sequiturs. South Carolina and many of the other Southern States had formally seceded from the United States prior to the initiation of hostilities. Before you can logically apply your definition of ‘civil war’ to the conflict in question, you must first prove that secession was unconstitutional (i.e., that the Southern States were still a part of the United States during the war). In other words, if secession was constitutional (and the United States Constitution nowhere prohibits State secession), then the war was fought between ‘opposing countries,’ not “opposing groups of citizens of the same country.”

“Whoever you're debating might whack you over the head with things like that.”

;>)

Well then call it a rebellion then, don't try to paint it as something it wasn't.

Congratulations - another of your ‘classic’ non sequiturs! The Southern States formally seceded from the federal union. To label that secession “rebellion,” you must first prove that State secession was unconstitutional. And of course, the Constitution nowhere prohibits State secession.

“Honestly, have you done no reading at all on this subject?”

;>)

…it wasn't a war between sovereign nations. It was a rebellion or, at best, a civil war.

The southern rebellion was not successful, so the people there remained a part of the United States. Civil war as defined in the dictionary would be accurate.

And again, your conclusions (that secession constituted rebellion or civil war) do not follow from the premises (the specific written terms of the United States Constitution). In short, you’ve simply posted additional non sequiturs.

But then, that’s to be expected…

;>)